Denifl and Mortensen to Vacansoleil

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Martin Mortensen and Stefan Denifl will join Vacansoleil-DCM for the 2012 season, giving the Dutch team a total of 27 riders. It is a homecoming for both riders, as Mortensen rode for Vacansoleil in 2009 and 2010, and Denifl rode for team operations manager Jean-Paul van Poppel in 2010.

“At first we looked at keeping our strong core and young Dutch and Belgium riders for 2012 but also for 2013. After securing the future with them we looked to make our 2012 team stronger for the hard WorldTour programme. We looked at relatively young riders with WorldTour experience and found them with Denifl and Mortensen”, said van Poppel.

Mortensen, 26, was happy to return. “There is a lot of confidence from the team management which I appreciate a lot. The core of this growing team has been the same for many years and I am happy to return to the family. I look forward to work hard in the spring for riders like Leukemans and Marcato. One of my own goals is to do a Grand Tour in 2012. Preferably the Giro which starts in Herning, being the town I grew up in.”

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This season, Mortensen finished second in the Danish national road race.

Denifl, 26, turned pro in 2006 and rode for Team Vorarlberg and Elk Haus in his native Austria before joining Cervelo TestTeam in 2010, where he worked with van Poppel. The climber finished fifth in the GP de Montreal.